Chapter 4 - THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPHThe mansion remained dark for several minutes.
Emergency lights eventually flickered on.
Arthur refused to let Leo out of his sight.
Victoria was escorted downstairs.
Elena carried the photograph from Thomas's room.
The woman in it looked young.
Beautiful.
Exhausted.
And strangely familiar.
Arthur refused to answer questions about her.
That only made Elena more suspicious.
A police detective named Mason arrived and took control of the investigation.
He studied the photograph.
“Who is she?”
Arthur said nothing.
Detective Mason looked at Victoria.
“Mrs. Vance?”
Victoria stared at the table.
“Her name was Claire.”
Arthur closed his eyes.
Elena felt the room change.
“Claire who?”
Victoria finally looked up.
“Claire Vance.”
“Elena,” Arthur said quietly, “you need to leave this room.”
“No.”
Arthur stared at her.
“You've already heard too much.”
“My name was on the file.”
“I know.”
“So explain.”
Arthur rubbed his face.
“Claire was my first wife.”
“You said Lucy was your daughter.”
“She was.”
“Then why is there a photograph of Claire holding a baby?”
Arthur didn't answer.
Victoria did.
“Because that baby was not Lucy.”
Arthur turned sharply.
“Enough.”
Victoria's voice shook.
“You can't keep pretending.”
Detective Mason leaned forward.
“How many children did you have with Claire?”
Arthur stared at the floor.
“One.”
“What was the child's name?”
Silence.
Then Arthur whispered:
“Evelyn.”
Elena frowned.
“But Lucy?”
Arthur looked toward the photograph.
“Lucy was Claire's daughter from another relationship.”
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“You lied.”
Arthur's jaw tightened.
“No. You don't understand.”
“Then explain it.”
Before he could, a police officer entered.
“We found something in the basement.”
They followed him.
Behind an old wine rack was another concealed chamber.
Inside was a child's bedroom.
Dust covered the furniture.
A small bed.
A broken music box.
A faded painting of a family.
Three figures.
A man.
A woman.
A little girl.
The girl's face had been scratched out.
Elena touched the wall.
“Someone wanted her forgotten.”
Detective Mason discovered a tape recorder.
He pressed play.
A woman's voice filled the room.
Claire.
“If anyone finds this, understand one thing. Arthur is not the man everyone thinks he is.”
Arthur backed away.
The recording continued.
“He told me our daughter died.”
Arthur covered his face.
“I never believed him.”
Elena stared at him.
Claire's voice trembled.
“I searched for her for months.”
Static.
Then:
“I found her.”
The room went silent.
Claire continued.
“But when I tried to take her home, someone stopped me.”
A sound like a door opening.
Then Claire whispered:
“They said if I spoke, she would disappear forever.”
The recording suddenly changed.
A man's voice appeared.
“You should have listened, Claire.”
Arthur stared at the recorder.
That voice.
He recognized it.
It belonged to someone who had been around him for decades.
Someone he trusted.
The recording ended.
Detective Mason looked at Arthur.
“Who was that man?”
Arthur didn't answer.
Then a gunshot exploded upstairs.
Everyone froze.
Another shot.
Arthur screamed:
“Leo!”
They raced upstairs.
Leo was gone.
The bedroom window was open.
The curtains blew in the night air.
On the bed was a single piece of paper.
Elena picked it up.
Three words were written in red ink:
ASK YOUR FATHER.
Arthur stared at the paper.
Then his phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A distorted voice said:
“One child is already missing.”
Arthur's face went white.
“Who are you?”
“You still haven't remembered the second one.”
The line went dead.
Elena slowly turned toward Arthur.
“Second one?”
Arthur said nothing.
May you like
But behind them, Victoria whispered:
“Because Evelyn wasn't the only child.”
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